We came, we saw, it was traditional af?

this is gonna be a long one …

okay so we went and we did it. We went and experienced what was supposed to be potentially the most “Indigenous” experience we are going to get during the course. Let’s run it back.

At a totally not 9am SHARP, we all piled into 2 trusty vans to drive up into an Andean community called Amaru. This community is connected? Supported? Somehow related? To our hotel and the foundation that runs it. Winding up into the hills, Pisac and its NATs (New age tourists) quickly faded into the rear view as the roads turned dusty and the cliff-side drop off was enough to make your stomach churn (more on that later…). Arriving in the community, we were greeted by men and women in their traditional dress getting ready for a day of working one of the land plots. I would say fields but as it is the dry season, the field was really just dirt. We found out later the village takes turns plowing and tending to each other’s fields when necessary, an example of the Incan theory of reciprocity we have heard about in IGV and Guaman Poma. Little did we know we were about to reciprocate. After our guide told us a few facts about the treatment of the indigenous under colonialism we were gifted with rounds of coca leaves and a charcoal-looking rock that makes your mouth numb. I would’ve liked more facts but nonetheless, experiential learning. We sat there for a while. We weren’t quite sure what was going on. That’s ok. There’s a lot of value in feeling out of place as a white westerner.

De repente, pick axes and hoes appeared. We were going to till the field. Okay. We are going to till the field. Okay. Um how? No worries, we’ll show you. Oh I forgot to mention, at this point we had been dressed in the traditional garments of the village. Beautiful textiles and hats including ponchos and toques for the Men and skirts and shawls for the ladies. So there we were, clad and ready to reciprocate. It was a sight to see, I’m sure. Jon rolled a cigarette while he “facilitated the learning”. Some people enjoyed this 1.5hours(?) more than others but I think we all learned we weren’t quite up to expectations. In the soil we unearthed potatoes, legos, rocks (which Orla threw at me) and a better understanding for what it takes to produce the food we eat.

The sun blared down from above, still strong even this close to its Winter equinox where we will have to give it our energy. We moved over to an adjacent field (maybe plowed by a previous weeks vans?) where they showed us how potatoes can be cooked in a sod-fueled mound. It smelled delicious. Apparently they had gotten it going a few hours ago and the potatoes would be ready in 30 mins or less. It felt like when the cooking show has a whole baked turkey ready to go. Jokes aside, it was actually really cool and I enjoyed watching the ladies bury the potatoes under the coals. Back to Pachamama they go.

March on we did. The community had set up a beautiful welcome for us where we were bestowed a kantu over our necks and arranged ourselves in the shade for the next phase. Turns out it was shopping and then also a lunch! The textiles on display were handmade by the community and the prices reflected this (as they should). If I wasn’t a student my wallet may have been as hungry as my eyes. Lunch was brought out wrapped in a red, white and black blanket which contrasted beautifully with the green grass and the mysterious sauce that I could put on anything. The bundle contained aforementioned roasted potatoes, fava beans, loose corn and a complement of farmers cheese (almost certainly not pasteurized). But the fun didn’t stop there! The cooks brought out a delicious potato soup. Our guide told us that apparently limeños look down on a soup like this since it’s “poor food”. Well, so was whole wheat and so was quinoa until people decided it was healthy. In bears to mention, at this point our group had had a great casualty. Our fearless and otherwise seemingly indestructible (see diet of cigarettes, Inca Kola, and various manifestations of alcohol) leader had fallen. It didn’t seem to be the roads at fault, maybe the altitude or the 24 flu that everyone seemed to be getting or maybe a combination of all 3 and a brief involvement in the day’s field tilling. Nevertheless we persisted. Lunch lasted 2 hours? Kerri told us this was quite normal for when visitors come to the village. Finally, we had a demonstration of the textiles and the weaving processes. We learned that the women learn the craft very early in their life not only as an occupation but as a way of life. It is a way to foster community, the women sit together and talk and care for the children while the men farm etc. she also told us that often the Andean women are extremely adept at mathematics because of the thread counting, even more so than non-Andean students. 3 cheers for women in STEM!

There was a bit more shopping and a bit more music and a bit more dancing and that was the whole day. I think it’s good we went. Did we get what we came for? I don’t know. I guess I didn’t have any expectations really but I wished there was more information presented. Plowing a field is cool and all but some more context and explanation would’ve enriched the experience. Maybe that’s antithetical to what they’re trying to present to us though.

I wonder the impact the rolling door of foreigners has on the children, children living in a community which is priding itself on remaining unaffected by a western lifestyle. What impact do trips like this have on the youngest?